Stephen E. Flynn, PhD

As Founding Director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University, Stephen E. Flynn leads a major university-wide research initiative to inform and advance societal resilience in the face of growing human-made and naturally-occurring turbulence. At Northeastern, he is also Professor of Political Science with faculty affiliations in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs. Dr. Flynn is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on critical infrastructure and supply chain security and resilience.

In the Media

Event Recap: Stephen Flynn features in Council on Foreign Relations Webinar: Resilient & Sustainable Infrastructure

Stephen Flynn features on News@Northeastern Article: Is World War III Possible? The Next Few Weeks Will Tell

GRI Founding Director, Stephen Flynn, amongst other Northeastern experts, featured in a News@Northeastern article that is focused on the ongoing crisis in Eastern Europe.

Stephen Flynn features on News@Northeastern: SUPPLY CHAINS ARE A MESS. BUT THERE’S HOPE ON THE HORIZON

Stephen Flynn Features on NPR’s “Planet Money” Podcast – Of boats and boxes

Stephen Flynn and Jennie Stephens in News@Northeastern: New Course to Cultivate Ideas About How to Expand Campus Sustainability Efforts

Resilience Thought Piece by GRI Founding Director Stephen Flynn: Reflecting on 9/11 and the Resilience Imperative

Stephen Flynn in News@Northeastern: The UN Climate Change Report Is an Opportunity for Innovation

Stephen Flynn on WBUR: Can the Internet Be More Resilient To Climate Change?

Stephen Flynn in News@Northeastern: Can the Destructive Bootleg Fire Teach Us to Prevent Wildfires Before They Start?

Resilience Roundup: Why the COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Highlights the Need for Resilient Supply Chains

Stephen Flynn in Fast Company: We’re botching the vaccine rollout. Here’s how to get it back on track

Stephen Flynn in News@Northeastern: Why is the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Failing – and How Can it be Fixed?

GRI Founding Director, Stephen Flynn, recently spoke with News@Northeastern to discuss the COVID-19 roll outs. “We need to draw on a reserve corps of people who can be trained, or retirees with skills who can be brought back into the system,” Dr. Flynn says. “This needs to be an all-hands-on-deck moment where we recruit and deploy all of the skilled labor forces we can find.”

Publications

The Edge of Disaster: Rebulding a Resilient Nation

In this new book, leading security expert Stephen Flynn issues a call to action, demanding that we wake up and prepare immediately for a safer future.

America the vulnerable low res book cover

America the Vulnerable: Struggling to Secure the Homeland

In this powerful and urgently needed call to action, national security expert Stephen Flynn offers a startling portrait of the radical shortcomings in America’s plan for homeland security.

Creating the Department of Homeland Security: Rethinking the Ends and Means

This issue brief examines the benefits of having all activities of U.S. organizations that secure global trade and travel and protect homeland security

Defeating the Jihadists: A Blueprint for Action

This report analyzes how the US approaches the threat of terrorism and makes recommendations for how to change policies to better address the issue. The report also profiles various jihadist groups and uses this information to state how much financial investments and effort are necessary to successfully overcome them.

America the Vulnerable: How Our Government Is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism

In this book, Dr. Flynn outlines the shortcomings of the government in preparing the nation's most vulnerable infrastructures for an act of terrorism

The Neglected Defense: Mobilizing the Private Sector to Support Homeland Security

The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation

The Optimal Spatiotemporal Deployment of Radiation Portal Monitors Can Improve Detection at Overseas Ports

Ready to Blow: The Inadequacy of Federal Security Rules and Funding to Adequately Safeguard the Nation’s High-Risk Chemical Facilities and a Proposed Way Forward

Building a More Resilient Nation by Strengthening Private-Public Partnerships

Supply chain category image (shipping cargo containers on dock)

Estimating the Operational Impact of Container Inspections at International Ports

Recalibrating Homeland Security: Mobilizing American Society to Prepare for Disaster

Countering the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism at Domestic and Foreign Ports